Priority Mail...but No Perfume

So today I sent two packages to my mom via the United States Postal Service.

I spent the morning reminiscing and collecting little things to send and filled a MacBook box and an Adidas box of memories and gifts.

Because of my family and Bay Area friends and some sleuthing to my former schools I included the following to my mami:

1. 2 bottles of perfume given to me by Maritza & Frances
2. 2 DVDs of footage taken during her birthday this year
3. 1 CD of music inspired by her 60th birthday
4. Sage brush collected on a trip to Yosemite organized by Huy and Michelle two years ago
5. A ceramic cross glazed blue
6. Puerto Rican sesame seed candy
7. A box from Spain's Alhambra
8. Family & friend photos from my parents wedding - a few years ago - too many people to thank.
9. Candles, candle holder
10. Seashell from Agate Beach collected with Megan on New Years Day 2007
11. Seashells from Belize that Christine collected
12. 2 decorative scented sachet bags
13. 2 dark blue taper candles, 6 orchid tealight candles & glass candleholder
14. 1 Lenox Christmas 1st Noel decoration
15. A chocolate/pink silk pillow
16. An Indian style, multi-material pillow case
17. What else did I send?

All of these things I wrapped up in a MacBook box and then wrapped in the brown paper of recycled grocery bags and taped up.

When I stopped by the post office in downtown Oakland, I walked up the marble steps and my footsteps echoed down the hallway as I got on cue. Two inches of lucite separated me from the postal worker and a lucite dolly rotated my packages from my side of the wall to her side of the wall.

She asked me if there were any flammable liquids inside. My brain immediately thought of the perfume.

Apparently perfume cannot go express mail.

How do they send it then? There are tons of perfumeries in the United States. Don't tell me all of them ship via ground mail. That just can't be true. And in the case of crossing oceans, it is impossible.

But it is true. So mami's pillows will arrive in about 3 days. Her pictures and other things with the card to explain it all will arrive in 6 - 8 days.

Hrm. Good to know. Good to know.